shed 1 of 2

verb

ˈshed How to pronounce shed (audio)
Definition of shednext
1
as in to peel
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside a snake's skin doesn't grow as the snake does, so every so often the snake will shed its old skin

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to unload
to get rid of as useless or unwanted you need to shed your old notions of propriety and have some fun for a change

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shed

2 of 2

noun

as in hut

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word shed different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of shed are cast, discard, junk, scrap, and slough. While all these words mean "to get rid of," shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit
finally sloughed off the depression

When would cast be a good substitute for shed?

Although the words cast and shed have much in common, cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

When is it sensible to use discard instead of shed?

While the synonyms discard and shed are close in meaning, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

How do scrap and junk relate to one another, in the sense of shed?

Both scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways
would junk our educational system

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shed
Verb
This lunation can also help you in shedding whatever (or whoever) is holding you back from professional success. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 June 2025 Jenner, meanwhile wore a Knicks nylon orange, blue, and white bomber, shedding it during the game to wear what has become her usual courtside uniform of a white tank top, dark wash indigo jeans, and white pointed pumps. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 June 2025
Noun
Detectives executed a search warrant and found a .22 caliber gun in a shed on Trinh's property. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2025 The sheriff's office added that its detectives executed a search warrant and found the .22 caliber gun in a shed on Trinh’s property. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for shed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shed
  1. peel
  2. unload
  3. hut
  4. ditch
  5. dump
  6. shack
  7. discard
  8. lose
Verb
  • Having peeled back the classical outer layer of the onion, where energy is always positive, Wall reached a lightly quantum layer — a context physicists call semiclassical.
    — Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 27 May 2025
  • Metal structures should not have rust or peeling paint, which could contain lead.
    — Dr. Julie Gilchrist, Boston Herald, 25 May 2025
Definition of peel
Verb
  • Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Aid groups are unloading food and other critical supplies in the Gaza Strip, after a monthslong blockade that has put children at risk of famine.
    — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2025
  • Once Devon can unload caretaking duties for Bruce (their father), Simone says life is going to get really good for her.
    — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 22 May 2025
Definition of unload
Noun
  • While there are several accommodations in the national park, traditional lodgings here were bare-bones mountain huts intentionally designed for discomfort for religious reasons.
    — Olivia Young, AFAR Media, 20 May 2025
  • Along with these items, Caribbean hut also offers vegetarian options like curry tofu and a veggie platter.
    — Mari Pressley, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2025
Definition of hut
Verb
  • Join Amazon shoppers in ditching their name-brand sneakers for these comfortable pairs of running shoes starting at $43.
    — Averi Baudler, People.com, 31 May 2025
  • Sunrun shares have plunged nearly 26% this year and more than 52% over the past year, as traders ditch clean energy names under the Trump administration.
    — Pia Singh, CNBC, 30 May 2025
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • Credential dumps from breached companies are traded daily on the dark web.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Police accused the man of dumping a large container of eggs on his head in front of the Ralph’s Italian Ice in Centereach on the night of April 29.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 5 June 2025
Definition of dump
Noun
  • The three-story clubhouse would be about 50,000 square feet and would have a reception area, surf academy, fitness facility, yoga center, administration offices, staff areas, locker rooms, retail store, restaurant, a coffee bar/snack shack and other incidental uses.
    — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
  • Courtesy of Akasha Song José walked with him through the trees to a shack where pounds and pounds of jurema inner root bark were laid out to dry on tarps the size of a living room floor.
    — Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 May 2025
Definition of shack
Verb
  • The first-stage booster that had been tapped during the original attempts was discarded for a new booster.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2025
  • Disposable paper dresses enjoyed a brief vogue in the turbulent late 1960s, when young people literally wore their politics and interests on their sleeves—but were prepared to discard them as easily as a piece of Kleenex.
    — Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 May 2025
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Water depth - The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road.
    — STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2025
  • Rosado, 52, is an urban planner and former North Bay Village manager who previously ran for the District 4 seat in 2017, losing to Reyes.
    — Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 4 June 2025
Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

sheaves
shed
shedding
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shed. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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